Photo: Tina KorhonenJack Bruce, bass player for legendary supergroup Cream, has died. He was 71.

A message on the musician’s official website reads, “It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad and all around legend. The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts.”

Bruce formed Cream in the mid-sixties with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker; their name came from the notion all three of them were the “the cream of the crop” on their respective instruments. In addition to playing bass, Bruce also sang many of the band’s best known tunes, and co-wrote classics like “Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room” and “I Feel Free.” Bruce’s bass playing influenced a generation of musicians, including Sting and Geddy Lee of Rush.

After Cream split in 1968, Bruce continued to play live, and release albums, both solo and as part of various groups, such as the blues trio West, Bruce & Laing. In 1993, for the first time in 25 years, Cream reformed to perform together: the occasion was their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cream reunited in 2005 at the Royal Albert Hall in London for a series of four shows, and for a single show at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The shows were recorded and released as a live CD and DVD.

Bruce continued to tour and record; his most recent album, Silver Rails, came out this past March.